Man Who Sold His Kidney to Buy an iPhone Declared Permanently Disabled at 31 After Kidney Failure

A Chinese man has been left permanently disabled at just 31 after selling one of his kidneys when he was younger.

Wang Shangkun, who grew up in a poor family in Anhui province, was swayed by posts on social media and ended up contacting a human trafficking syndicate to sell his kidney.

For illustration purposes only

A decision driven by social status

At just 17, he was desperate to own an iPhone 4, which was considered a status symbol back then, as reported by Harian Metro.

In 2011, he went through an illegal surgery and was paid 20,000 yuan (~RM12,000 or ~RM9,400 at the time). With that money, he bought himself an iPhone 4 and an iPad 2.

But the joy didn’t last as his health deteriorated when a bacterial infection caused his only remaining kidney to fail.

It was his mother who eventually forced the truth out of him after noticing his suspiciously new gadgets. Hearing his confession, she later said it felt like “the sky collapsing.”

Wang shangkun

He was eventually declared permanently disabled

Wang once thought he’d made the right choice, but now calls it the “biggest regret” of his life.

Although the syndicate was eventually exposed and he received over 1.48 million yuan (~RM878,000 or ~RM696,000 at the time) in compensation, no amount of money could restore his health.

Fourteen years later, his kidney function has dropped to just 25%, and he’s been declared permanently disabled at level three, unable to work, and must rely on lifelong dialysis while battling other health complications.

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Also read: 24yo Chinese Woman Dates Rich Men & Robs Their Homes After Moving In, Makes Off With Over RM118k